Published: Wednesday, July 17, 2013 at 9:58 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, July 17, 2013 at 9:58 p.m.

SARASOTA - As he wandered into a homeless camp in northern Sarasota County on Wednesday morning, Robert Marbut was surprised to see several women sitting on couches.

Facts

A summary of Robert Marbut's “Seven Guiding Principles of Transformation:”

1 The community, including the homeless, agencies, politicians and media, needs to consider homelessness unacceptable and focus on “transformation” and moving homeless people back into society.

2 All services in the area need to be connected virtually and, when possible, located in one area. This improves coordination, reduces expenses, cuts down on people gaming the system and engages people on the edges of society.

3 There needs to be a master case management system, where homeless individuals have one person who coordinates all their services. The type of services someone gets, in what order they get them and how often, is important.

4 Homeless people who behave should get more responsibilities and privileges, like better sleeping arrangements, more privacy and learning opportunities.

5 There must be “swift and proportionate consequences” for bad behavior.

6 Street feeding and other activities that help people where they're at need to stop or be relocated so they are working in tandem with comprehensive service programs.

7 Panhandling must stop. It often perpetuates homelessness because panhandlers use the money for alcohol and drugs.

Facts

WATCH FORUM ON HOMELESSNESS LIVE

Robert Marbut, an expert on homelessness, will speak at a Herald- Tribune/New College of Florida forum Thursday evening.

The forum, which will be moderated by Herald-Tribune Opinion Editor Tom Tryon, is sold out.

To watch a New College of Florida live-stream video of the forum, go to HeraldTribune.com/live at 5:30 p.m. To join the conversation on Twitter, use the hashtag #HTTopics.

That's a sign, he later told Sheriff Tom Knight. A large number of women living outdoors means Sarasota's homeless community is less violent than others he has worked with.

Such facts, along with numbers and names, slowly filled the pages of the homelessness consultant's notebook as he raced around the county.

Halfway into a daylong inventory of Sarasota's homeless system, he had already spotted gaps.

For homeless families, there is almost no place to go. There is not enough emergency shelter, and nothing to prevent clogging the jails with people who had slept where they shouldn't or consumed alcohol in a park.

There also needs to be a point person, whose sole job is to focus on homelessness in the county.

Marbut's visit this week is a test. Foundations and local government officials are trying to determine whether the community will accept Marbut's suggestions and support hiring him as a consultant.

If they do, Marbut — who lives in San Antonio — will spend four months studying what Sarasota County does, gathering data from agencies and living briefly with the homeless.

He would visit Sarasota up to three times a month.

Afterward, he would offer a plan to fix gaps in the system and better transition people into homes. It would cost the region $16,536, as well as transportation expenses, for him to come up with the plan, according to a proposal he sent the community in February.

Many cities have paid to keep him on longer and help implement the suggestions.

Local government leaders hope to gauge whether the community is interested in his ideas at a summit and forum today. They don't want to pay for a report full of ideas no one is ready or willing to make happen.

Before making his formal pitch to service providers and community members, Marbut was trying to get the lay of the land on Wednesday.

Gulf Coast Community Foundation employees had 18 spots on their list of places to take him — 2-1-1, churches, shelters and homeless camps.

Everywhere Marbut went, he asked for hard numbers and cracked jokes — for instance, poking fun at the fact that they were running around so fast that he couldn't eat or go the bathroom.

They barely had time to grab a sandwich at Checkers and scarf it down as they talked with the sheriff.

At the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office and Resurrection House, people told Marbut that he needs to focus on the south part of Sarasota County as well as the visible population in Sarasota.

“We have more in the county than anyone would imagine,” Sheriff Knight said.

The missing piece

Colonel Steve Burns said you hear about the “homeless problem” when people step out of their condo to walk FiFi and come across someone sleeping on the sidewalk. But it goes unnoticed when that someone is sleeping behind a plaza or pasture.

“For safety reasons, people have spread out deeper in the county,” said David Proch, Resurrection House's executive director.

Marbut said Resurrection House really gets the homeless culture and is a critical part of the solution, but it is missing a piece.

“You need to get in the housing business,” Marbut told group leaders.

Marbut emphasizes putting as many services as possible in one place.

He said a shelter needs to be located next to Resurrection House in the Rosemary District, or the day center needs to move wherever the new emergency shelter is built.

Proch said it's tough to maintain their location as the community around it grows.

If the shelter idea takes hold, where to put it is likely to be a point of contention. City Commissioners have said they don't want it in Sarasota city limits.

Marbut told law enforcement that a new emergency shelter would house people who get locked up for crimes associated with the homeless, such as drinking in public or panhandling.

Instead of having taxpayers spend about $73 per night to jail someone, he said, he can shelter them for $20.

The shelter would also better connect people with services, Marbut said.

Currently, homeless people are offered a bus ride to the Salvation Army after they are released, but don't get case management and other services during their short stay in jail.

“They get climate control for about 16 hours — that's all they get,” Burns said.

Terry Brown, who was at Resurrection House on Wednesday, said a shelter in the county could be helpful as long as there is transportation to Downtown Sarasota, where they can get day labor jobs.

Marbut's approach to homelessness — many might call it tough love — could very well work, Brown said.

But people need to be sure they are appropriately doling out the toughness and the love, he added. Agencies sometimes confuse the people who really need help with those who don't.

It would be helpful to have a case manager who works closely with someone to make sure they get what they need out of the system, Brown said.

There are a lot of opinions on Marbut's approach and what people who are homeless need, said James McKenzie, another client at Resurrection House.

He is going to school for plumbing, and said the region needs more low-cost educational opportunities to get people jobs and off the street.

<p><em>SARASOTA</em> - As he wandered into a homeless camp in northern Sarasota County on Wednesday morning, Robert Marbut was surprised to see several women sitting on couches. </p><div class="art_item art_item_inset art_item_facts">
<h3>Facts</h3>
<h4>WATCH FORUM ON HOMELESSNESS LIVE</h4>
<p>Robert Marbut, an expert on homelessness, will speak at a Herald- Tribune/New College of Florida forum Thursday evening.<br><br>The forum, which will be moderated by Herald-Tribune Opinion Editor Tom Tryon, is sold out. <br><br>To watch a New College of Florida live-stream video of the forum, go to <A href="http://www.HeraldTribune.com/live"> HeraldTribune.com/live</a> at 5:30 p.m. To join the conversation on Twitter, use the hashtag #HTTopics.</p>
</div>
<p>That's a sign, he later told Sheriff Tom Knight. A large number of women living outdoors means Sarasota's homeless community is less violent than others he has worked with.</p><p>Such facts, along with numbers and names, slowly filled the pages of the homelessness consultant's notebook as he raced around the county.</p><p>Halfway into a daylong inventory of Sarasota's homeless system, he had already spotted gaps. </p><p>For homeless families, there is almost no place to go. There is not enough emergency shelter, and nothing to prevent clogging the jails with people who had slept where they shouldn't or consumed alcohol in a park.</p><p>There also needs to be a point person, whose sole job is to focus on homelessness in the county.</p><p>Marbut's visit this week is a test. Foundations and local government officials are trying to determine whether the community will accept Marbut's suggestions and support hiring him as a consultant. </p><p>If they do, Marbut — who lives in San Antonio — will spend four months studying what Sarasota County does, gathering data from agencies and living briefly with the homeless. </p><p>He would visit Sarasota up to three times a month. </p><p>Afterward, he would offer a plan to fix gaps in the system and better transition people into homes. It would cost the region $16,536, as well as transportation expenses, for him to come up with the plan, according to a proposal he sent the community in February. </p><p>Many cities have paid to keep him on longer and help implement the suggestions.</p><p>Local government leaders hope to gauge whether the community is interested in his ideas at a summit and forum today. They don't want to pay for a report full of ideas no one is ready or willing to make happen. </p><p>Before making his formal pitch to service providers and community members, Marbut was trying to get the lay of the land on Wednesday. </p><p>Gulf Coast Community Foundation employees had 18 spots on their list of places to take him — 2-1-1, churches, shelters and homeless camps.</p><p>Everywhere Marbut went, he asked for hard numbers and cracked jokes — for instance, poking fun at the fact that they were running around so fast that he couldn't eat or go the bathroom. </p><p>They barely had time to grab a sandwich at Checkers and scarf it down as they talked with the sheriff.</p><p>At the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office and Resurrection House, people told Marbut that he needs to focus on the south part of Sarasota County as well as the visible population in Sarasota.</p><p>“We have more in the county than anyone would imagine,” Sheriff Knight said.</p><p><B>The missing piece</b></p><p>Colonel Steve Burns said you hear about the “homeless problem” when people step out of their condo to walk FiFi and come across someone sleeping on the sidewalk. But it goes unnoticed when that someone is sleeping behind a plaza or pasture.</p><p>“For safety reasons, people have spread out deeper in the county,” said David Proch, Resurrection House's executive director.</p><p>Marbut said Resurrection House really gets the homeless culture and is a critical part of the solution, but it is missing a piece. </p><p>“You need to get in the housing business,” Marbut told group leaders. </p><p>Marbut emphasizes putting as many services as possible in one place. </p><p>He said a shelter needs to be located next to Resurrection House in the Rosemary District, or the day center needs to move wherever the new emergency shelter is built. </p><p>Proch said it's tough to maintain their location as the community around it grows. </p><p>If the shelter idea takes hold, where to put it is likely to be a point of contention. City Commissioners have said they don't want it in Sarasota city limits. </p><p>Marbut told law enforcement that a new emergency shelter would house people who get locked up for crimes associated with the homeless, such as drinking in public or panhandling. </p><p>Instead of having taxpayers spend about $73 per night to jail someone, he said, he can shelter them for $20. </p><p>The shelter would also better connect people with services, Marbut said.</p><p>Currently, homeless people are offered a bus ride to the Salvation Army after they are released, but don't get case management and other services during their short stay in jail.</p><p>“They get climate control for about 16 hours — that's all they get,” Burns said. </p><p>Terry Brown, who was at Resurrection House on Wednesday, said a shelter in the county could be helpful as long as there is transportation to Downtown Sarasota, where they can get day labor jobs.</p><p>Marbut's approach to homelessness — many might call it tough love — could very well work, Brown said.</p><p>But people need to be sure they are appropriately doling out the toughness and the love, he added. Agencies sometimes confuse the people who really need help with those who don't. </p><p>It would be helpful to have a case manager who works closely with someone to make sure they get what they need out of the system, Brown said.</p><p>There are a lot of opinions on Marbut's approach and what people who are homeless need, said James McKenzie, another client at Resurrection House. </p><p>He is going to school for plumbing, and said the region needs more low-cost educational opportunities to get people jobs and off the street. </p><p>But he said “anything that would help” is welcome.</p>